Retribution
by Shining Zephyr
Summary: *E/C, RaiN; implied WinStet, HY* Kyle is missing, and Julia wants Horatio's help to find him. At first, it seems like a lie. But when a CSI is found murdered by a familiar serial killer, it becomes apparent he has kidnapped Kyle...
1. Prologue: Unlikely Visit

**NEW STORY! And in this, I might actually make Julia -faints on the spot- sort of a semi-ally. NO PROMISES.**

**Spoilers for everything, pairings are the usual: E/C, RaiN, slight HY**

**I own nothing. Remember that.**

* * *

1. Prologue: Unlikely Visit

Miami, Florida.

It's hot. It's humid. Everyone who lives there, though, loves it. It is fun to constantly go to the beaches, visit the strip clubs, make out on the dance floor. People desperately want a piece of Miami.

And some people do not.

Take Horatio Caine, for instance. He has his own little slice of the city in his backyard- or should I say, the _crime lab's_ backyard. It's full of bodies, blood, and weapons. Drugs, prostitutes, family, friends... oh yeah. It seems like he's got it all.

Including enemies.

* * *

Natalia Boa Vista watched the elevator doors to the crime lab open and felt her heart drop into her stomach. A woman who appeared to be in her mid-to-upper-thirties walked out of it and looked around, her cell phone in hand. She had long, golden blonde hair and piercing hazel eyes, which scanned the area rather worriedly. It was obvious whom she was looking for, and Natalia was determined for her to not find him unless it was a desperate circumstance. She quickly walked out of the room and made a beeline for DNA. She opened the door and glanced at her friend Ryan Wolfe. "We've got a problem."

The male CSI looked up from his work and frowned. "I'm, uh, kinda busy, Natalia. Can't it wait?"

"Unfortunately, right now, it can't."

Ryan sighed and looked down at the evidence he was processing. Horatio had asked him to get the results within the hour, but Natalia's tone indicated that she couldn't sit still with this news. He tuned his head to her direction and crossed his arms. "It had better be good."

She bit her lip and nodded to the hallway. "She's here."

He frowned. "Who's here?"

_"She's_ here."

That got his attention. Usually, the woman didn't sound this worried about a person being there unless it was a possible enemy of Horatio's. Ryan looked out the window and took a piece of paper from the printer and motioned to Natalia with his head to come with him. She nodded and they both walked out, looking very interested in the sheet of paper. They passes the woman, who looked worriedly at her phone and glanced around once again, giving a cold nod to the duo that passed. As they rounded the corner, Ryan's face turned sheet white. "_Julia Winston?_ What the hell is she doing here?!"

"_Exactly_ my thought when I saw her," his coworker replied. "Do you have any ideas?"

Ryan pursed his lips. "Usually something has happened, or she wants to grate Horatio for Brazil and get him in trouble again. You think we should ask her what's going on?"

The woman looked back behind her worriedly. Something wasn't sitting right- it wasn't the fact that Julia was looking to destroy Horatio or anything. On the contrary; she looked as if she was ready to explode with emotion. She shook her head. "No. No, I don't think it would be a good idea to get information out of her on why she's here."

"What would you suggest, then?"

Natalia smiled. "Bring her the source of why she's probably here- the ex-husband himself."

* * *

Julia looked out the window, fingering her phone and drawing a drop of blood on her lip. She was actually scared- something was happening to their so-called 'family.' The sun shone in the room that morning, but it sure didn't seem to light up her mood. Anxiously pacing didn't seem to pass the time either. And those CSIs that she heard whispering in the hallway... that didn't make her feel any better. Maybe she had gotten their attention in some sort of way.

Actually, she knew she had gotten their attention.

The footsteps behind her proved her theory. She continued looking out the window, smiling ever so slightly and slipping her phone into her purse. "They got you to come and see me."

"What happened, Julia?"

She turned around and looked at Horatio Caine from head to toe. He didn't look the slightest bit pleased to see her there, and she didn't blame him. The two weren't on the greatest of terms at the moment, and she didn't doubt his suspicions of her being there. It wasn't because his face showed evident dislike for her- no, it was the way he stood. He had no smile on his face, wouldn't face her completely. His eyes were dark and unnerving, as if he were scrutinizing some animal behind a glass wall. She winced slightly and flipped some of her hair out from her face. "I, uh... ran into a problem this morning."

He didn't blink, merely raising his head slightly at these words.

"It's about Kyle," she continued.

Horatio looked down to the ground, fingering his sunglasses. Julia wasn't sure what he was feeling until he spoke. His voice was soft, filled with worry- the perfect tone for worrying about his son. "What do you mean 'it's about Kyle'?"

She swallowed, a lump rising in her throat. "I woke him up this morning to see if he was going to get up or lie in bed all day long like most teenagers do in the morning, but he wasn't there."

His tone stayed quiet, but his words cut through the air like a knife. "He wasn't there?"

"I called him throughout the whole house, but I got no response. I went to go and talk to Ron to see if he had seen Kyle as well- he and I don't sleep in the same room yet- but he was gone too."

Horatio didn't move. Julia could feel a wave of hatred overcoming the conversation. She blinked. "I had nothing to do with this."

He looked up, his eyes full of fire.

"Horatio, please! _Please_ believe me this once!"

"Julia..." He turned his head and looked out the window. "I don't know if I can do that right now."

* * *

**HA! Sweet plot coming up, alongside some suspense, angst, adventure, drama, and possible tragedy. Yes, I admit it. There's a character death in this story. XP I'm so evil. Guess all you want, but I shall only tell three people who it is. (MY CHOICE!) Reviews are enjoyed. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Justifiable

**-suddenly finds mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water- 14 reviews for the first chapter? Am I reading this right?**

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* * *

2. Justifiable

"So Horatio thinks that Julia might have _something_ to do with Kyle's disappearance, but he can't lay his finger on the whole matter," Calleigh Duquesne mused aloud, looking out the window and watching the water from under the waterway rush past. "And Julia insists that she had nothing to do with it."

Eric Delko nodded and looked at his friend as he stopped at the stop light. His eyes travelled down her body, taking in the black top she was wearing as well as matching black capris. Summer was slowly creeping up on the city, and it was hard to say whether anyone in the lab noticed- or the city in general, for that matter. People still went around in black, as they had in the winter, and this was no exception to the team. Eric had decided to rebel against the "dress code" and was wearing a Hawaiian orange shirt and a pair of khakis. "You know, something just seems weird about Kyle going missing," he told her.

Calleigh rolled her eyes as Eric stepped on the gas, and the drive continued to the Winstons'. "You think?"

"You have any ideas?"

She shrugged as Eric made the turn onto Oceania Avenue. "Enemies, simple-minded criminals... the list goes on, Eric. We're not going to be able to pinpoint exactly where he went or why he left, but we might have a decent idea whether or not he was kidnapped." Her blonde hair flew into her eyes slightly, but she brushed it away impatiently. "Are we almost there?"

He nodded, turning into a driveway and killing the engine. He opened the door and got out of the Hummer, walking around to her side and doing the same for her. "After you, ma'am," he told her in a British accent.

Calleigh laughed and stepped out of the vehicle, grabbing her kit and shutting the door. "Why, thank you!"

The door was unlocked as the duo entered. The woman looked around and set down her things in the living room, taking her camera out and snapping a picture of the couch. "Signs of a struggle," she told Eric. "I've got slash marks here on the arm rest."

Eric narrowed his eyes. "Kidnapping."

"Yeah. By the looks of it, the person could have possibly been trying to intimidate Kyle to come with them." She took out a pair of tweezers and took out a small piece of the furniture stuffing. "Maybe we'll be able to get trace off the weapon he used.

The man stood back and watched the woman work, crossing his arms. Horatio was going to get himself into this case, no matter how much head-butting was going to happen between himself and Internal Affairs. A thought slowly dawned on him as he took the camera and took several pictures of a rug that was pushed up against a wall. "Does Internal Affairs know about Kyle?"

Calleigh froze from what she was doing and glanced at her companion. "I don't know, Eric. I hope not. The last thing we need is them right now. Let's focus on the task at hand and get out of here."

Eric blinked. "You okay?"

"No." She shivered and shut her kit suddenly. "I'm... I'm scared, Eric. I'm not getting good vibes here. Let's just take what we have right now and go. Something bad is going to happen..."

He pulled her into a tight hug. "It's okay... Cal, nothing bad's going to happen to us. I promise."

* * *

He opened his eyes and blinked in the darkness. The floor was hard, the wood rubbing up against his skin. It itched, but as he tried to reach it, he felt his hands being stopped by rope. It felt tight around his wrists, like the person who had done it had taken careful time and effort to make sure they wouldn't slip off. He licked his lips- dried blood. The teen shivered, struggling to sit up and figure out what was going on.

A male voice seemed to call him out of his dreamy state. "Took you long enough. I can see why teens are called heavy sleepers."

He blinked blearily once again. "Ron?"

Ron Saris' voice chuckled in the darkness, and Kyle Winston-Caine could hear a sort of tone he didn't particularly like- dark and demented. "Yeah, I'm here, too, kid. Who'd you think it'd be?"

"I... I don't understand... what's going on?"

The killer sighed and sounded bored. Kyle couldn't see his face, but from what he gathered, he could tell he probably looked annoyed. "What's going on? I'm gettin' revenge, that's what."

The teenager felt so out of it as he asked blandly, "Who?"

Ron chuckled. "That's debatable."

Kyle finally sat up and tried to struggle with the bonds on his wrists. His kidnapper's voice sounded casual. "You're not getting out of those, Kyle. I made sure you wouldn't be able to. In fact, you're not going anywhere until _Daddy_ realizes that you've been kidnapped. You better start prayin', kid. I dunno when- or even if- he'll show up."

"He will!" the captive told him defiantly. "I know he will!"

The sound of a door slamming answered his statement. Kyle felt his stomach drop and groaned, his stomach churning.

It was now 9:45 in the morning.

* * *

He got into the vehicle and laughed to himself. Revenge, vendetta, vengeance, retribution... whatever the word was. He was going to get it today. After all these months of being under scrutiny for the murder of Kathleen Newberry, he was finally allowed some alone time with his beloved Julia and that blasted kid of hers. Rolling his eyes, he revved up the engine and typed in an address he knew all too well.

He had been there many times. And his victim would never know what hit her.

It wasn't far away. Perhaps five minutes or so from the warehouse.

But it was five minutes.

* * *

It was her off day. Her day to spend time with the kids and mess around with her beloved husband.

But she wouldn't know what was going to hit her.

She didn't know that Ron Saris was going to kill her in six minutes.

* * *

**Cliffie! -sighs- So, I added in some E/C for your liking and such, and... I actually don't have much to say right now. Hope you kind of enjoyed this new chappie. Reviews are enjoyed. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Simplistic Gesture

**-waves again from behind a pile of reviews- Hi there! You guys are totally sweet with these! Really!**

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* * *

3. Simplistic Gesture

Ah, yes. There she was. Her cell phone was ringing, and she was walking out of her house that beautiful Friday morning. What more could be said about such a thing of beauty? Besides the fact that she was, of course, going to be the other part of his retribution.

Ron smiled and sat back in his seat. She was standing on the front porch, looking delighted at her caller. He'd let her talk for a little bit, and then he would strike.

Nothing like watching Alexx Woods speak to her friends before she would be killed.

* * *

She leaned back on the pole and sighed, looking frazzled but content. "Kids are a handful these days," she joked.

Calleigh laughed slightly. _"Tell me about it. What're you going to be doing on your day off?"_

"I thought I might take the kids to the park or something in the afternoon. Might let the oldest one play video games for a couple of minutes before I come in and decide to beat him at his own favorite game." Alexx chuckled. "I can't remember the last time I had a break like this one, Cal. How'd Horatio do it?"

The ballistics expert shrugged, even if the M.E. didn't see it. _"He seems to have that magic touch these days. I wouldn't really know- he's changing all the time. One minute he's a vigilante, the next minute he's in the lab with us, diving headfirst into his work."_

"True. Well listen. I have to go; my kids are calling me in he house to figure out if we want to do a picnic at the park or not. You know how much Ryan loves to kind of spoil the kids." She frowned for a moment. "Is everything okay? I don't seem to be getting the same vibe from you I usually do."

Calleigh took a deep breath. _"We were just over at Julia Winston's place. She claims that Kyle left this morning, and there's evidence that he could have been kidnapped."_

Alexx's motherly instincts kicked into hyperdrive. "I can come over as soon as..."

_"No, Alexx. It's your day off. I don't want to ruin it for you. Look, just enjoy your ay off, and we'll update you whenever we get new information about anything."_

The woman's stern voice on the other end of the line made the M.E. smile slightly. "You sure? I can always..."

_"Alexx."_

"All right, all right, I get it, Calleigh." She laughed a little. "I'll spend the day with my kids, but if anything comes up that you need my assistance, just call me. Promise?"

Calleigh nodded. _"Promise."_

_Click._ Alexx snapped her phone shut and looked out on her front porch, slipping her phone back into her pocket and taking in the sun's rays. It seemed impossible to not enjoy a day like this with her kids. I mean, really. It was only a balmy eighty degrees that morning, and she had an entire day to spend with the most precious thing in her life- her family. She was almost like Horatio in the sense of caring for others, but this caring for others was in the form of her husband and children. Horatio had Yelina and Ray, Jr... and now Kyle.

Kyle being kidnapped? Horatio must have been going ballistic right now.

* * *

Yelina Salas, private investigator and former sister-in-law to Horatio, stood next to him and looked out the window, worry consuming her like nothing she had ever felt before. "Are you all right?" she asked him quietly.

Horatio didn't say anything.

"I know you're probably worried and angry about everything right now, but this isn't the time to be shutting people out, Horatio. We can help you. All of us are going to help you through this." She slipped her hand into his. "Including me. We can do it. Don't you believe in us?"

He looked at her. "Of course I do. I don't know what to do right now, though, Yelina. I don't know what emotion to portray. Should I do worry and look like a nervous father? What about sadness for the fact that my son was kidnapped? Or should I play anger and hatred towards the one who took him from me?" Horatio turned away. "I cannot do any of those, Yelina. It's against my nature."

Yelina cocked her head. "What nature? Horatio, I see a dedicated cop right before my eyes. Surely, you're feeling some sort of emotion right now. Of all the people in the lab..."

"I don't know, Yelina," he answered honestly, noticing her hand in his for the first time.

He didn't know what to think, actually. He was lost. Horatio felt as if he had almost failed his son in making sure that nothing would happen to him. As he stood there, glancing down at the hand that held them together not only physically as a chain, but mentally and emotionally, he began to think abut the many things that had happened over the course of the year- the revelation that he had a son, meeting with his ex-wife for the first time in years, Brazil... It all rushed forth with a surge of intensity, as if to make him feel as much pain as he could. Horatio shook his head. "Yelina... do you still love me?"

She blinked. "I don't understand."

Horatio turned to her and gave her a look. "Do you love me as family... or something more?"

Yelina looked down at the floor, finding herself suddenly at a loss for words. He had never really _personally _asked her the question before. It was always a silent sort of thing for her, and she hadn't really discussed this question internally.

Did she really love him as something more?

The private investigator couldn't answer the question. She looked down at the floor and glanced back into Horatio's piercing blue eyes. "I don't know," she replied simply. "I can't say for sure."

Horatio smiled slightly, his eyes glancing down at the floor as well. His hand squeezed hers tightly, pouring waves of sadness and anger into her. She could almost feel exactly how he looked right now- pained.

She took her hand and rubbed it slightly. "I'm going to go and see how the others are doing, okay?"

"Yeah."

The duo parted, and Horatio was left alone again. Or so he thought.

"You love her, hmmm?"

Julia's cool voice entered from behind him. He didn't move, his eyes still cast towards the ground. The ex-wife walked up to him and gave him an amused look. "Looks like you finally found someone to be loyal to you."

Horatio's voice was steady, laced with forced calm. "It's not what you think it is, Julia."

She snorted. "Don't give me that bullshit, Horatio. I know love when I see it. Unfortunately for you, it's as subtle as a flying mallet. I could practically _see_ the vibrations coming off you when you were holding her hand. You have strong feelings for PI Salas, right?"

"Did I say that?"

"No, but you implied it."

Silence reigned for a moment. Julia seemed smug at this, trying to slip an arm through Horatio's. "Don't shut _me_ out, Horatio. Of all the people in the world..."

Horatio moved away from the gesture. "It's not the time, Julia."

She pondered this for a moment and looked at her former husband from head to toe. "You're dressed in all black again," she observed, never moving away from him.

"Perfect for the occasion, isn't it?" he replied softly, walking off in the other direction.

Julia simply stood there, jaw agape. He had just walked out on her. Never once had he ever really done that before.

* * *

He cocked the weapon and simply watched her stand on the porch. She had been standing there for a long time- around fifteen to twenty minutes. It was perfect. He held the note in his other hand, rolling the window down slightly. His gun was subtly nudged outside the open glass, his eyes narrowed and taking aim.

His finger pulled the trigger.

The sound of a gunshot rang out. A bullet ran right through Alexx Woods' heart. Then silence.

Ron waited for a few moments and got out of the car, laying the note near her body, a wide grin unfolding on his features.

His retribution would soon be complete.

The blood pooled on the sidewalk.

It was suddenly a dark day in Miami.

Clouds gathered on the ocean.

And Ron Saris began to laugh.

* * *

**-runs away with big staff- THE ANGST! Reviews are loved. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Impossibilities

**-clears throat- Right then. Um, uh... -at a loss for snarky comments again-**

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4. Impossibilities

Ryan snapped his phone shut and walked down the hallway, spotting Natalia in A/V and waving to her. She nodded and looked over at Sam Barrish, the lab tech, mouthing some words and leaving the room. She opened the door and gave Ryan a concerned look. "What is it? Did something happen?"

"I'll say," Ryan replied grimly, his jaw slack. "We've got a murder out at Palm Lake- or, to be more precise, Alexx's neighborhood." He was unconsciously tapping his foot, a sort of sick feeling swirling in the pit of his stomach. "Is your stuff in the car?"

She nodded, beginning her stride with her friend to the elevator. "Does Horatio know about this?"

He shook his head, crossing his arms over his outfit- open jacket with a blue t-shirt and navy blue dress slacks. "No. I swore to myself I wouldn't tell H about this. He's got enough on his plate with everything that's happening today." He looked down at his watch. "10:30, and we've got a crime scene, a missing son, and an ex-wife yearning for her former husband's attention. One hell of a way to star your day off, huh?"

The doors opened, and Natalia stepped inside, pushing the button to the ground level. The doors shut, her feelings about Ryan trapped inside with them. A sudden chill ran down her spine as she watched the elevator count down towards the floor. She kneaded her hands slightly, biting her lip nervously. "So, you said this murder is in Alexx's neighborhood?"

"Yeah. How come?"

She tilted her head from side to side slowly, thinking and shrugging to herself. "I don't know. Something just... Something just seems wrong about this. I don't know whether we should go or not."

Ryan glanced at her, startled. "Natalia, this is a crime scene. Whether it's in Alexx's neighborhood or Horatio's backyard doesn't really make much of a difference. Come on, stop being worried about this sort of thing and let's do the job together!"

"Oh, thanks. That makes me feel a lot better, Ryan," she retorted, her blood beginning to simmer inwardly. "Have you seen Alexx at all this morning, anyway?"

The male CSI stepped out of the elevator and walked over to the door, opening it for her. "It's her day off, remember?"

Natalia gave him a small smile of thanks and walked to the Hummer, taking her jacket off. Underneath, she wore a silk, navy blue shirt with some white capris. Usually, it was cold inside the lab, and when she went outside, she had to take the jacket off. It was mostly because of the weather, and right now, the sun was shining down on the earth, seeming to relax its rays and stretch out for the long hours that would come ahead.

Little did the sun know, though, that the clouds gathering on the ocean's front would be coming to overtake its cheerful light.

* * *

Ryan frowned as he looked at the piece of paper and the number on the house, killing the engine. "Weird. This is Alexx's..."

Natalia blinked at Ryan's sentence cut off. He seemed to be in some sort of state of shocked realization. She frowned and looked in his direction, a feeling of dread washing over her body. She sat back in her seat, her shoulders sagging, eyes watering with unshed tears. No one spoke for many moments as the two people surveyed the scene from the safety of their car.

Time seemed to have stopped... until Natalia blinked out of her daze and wordlessly opened the her door and got out, slamming the door and walking to the trunk. She opened it and grabbed her kit, wiping her eyes and striding over to Ryan's side of the vehicle. He merely stared at Alexx's lifeless body, tears beginning to stream down his face. "Oh, my god."

Natalia said nothing in response. She had thought the exact same thing only moments before his comment and ran her fingers through her hair in stunned despair. "Ryan?"

Suddenly, he slammed the seat next to him with a fist. The clanging of the chair seemed to ring out his irateness as he sat there, shaking. "Holy shit..." he mumbled under his breath, finally seeming to take in the situation with as little emotion as he could. "Holy _shit._"

"C'mon, Ryan. We gotta process this."

He shook his head suddenly. "No."

Natalia bit her lip, tears running down her own face. "We have..."

"I'm _not_ processing a colleague's crime scene!" he practically yelled at the top of his lungs. "I'm not going to process her crime scene. I can't. I just... I can't, 'Talia."

She put her kit down and gave Ryan her hand. For a moment they stood there together, silently crying out at the world that had taken away their one true human connection as a family...

* * *

"No," Calleigh muttered angrily, looking off the front porch and gritting her teeth. "Not now. Of all the times to..."

Horatio said nothing. He merely held up a hand and nodded at the ballistics expert. She shut her mouth and turned back to the scene, wiping her eyes with her wrist and leaning over Alexx's body with a camera. The lieutenant looked down at his phone, struggled to take a deep breath, and walked over to the Internal Affairs agent, not looking in his direction. Rick Stetler gave him a sympathetic bow of his head and poke with a surprisingly sad air. "Horatio. I know how much..."

"You don't, Rick. You have no idea whatsoever."

He gestured slightly with his hands. "If you could explain..."

Horatio turned away, his voice emotionless. "Leave my crime scene, please."

"You're kidding. Horatio, a CSI was _murdered_ here. I can't just _leave_ this place by itself. There has to be Internal Affairs involved, and you, of all people, should know that." Stetler straightened himself up and stared at him as best as he could. "Look, I don't want to be here as much as you want me to be here... or you yourself want to be here."

The redhead said nothing.

Stetler merely stood their, his hand once again jammed into his pockets, his voice soft and full of concern. "Horatio... I'm not the enemy here. Give me something to do. I can help find the son of a bitch who killed Alexx."

"Please." Horatio's tone never wavered. "Just leave."

The brunette rubbed his head in stunned amazement. He wasn't showing anything. He was showing no signs of emotional conflict at all. Then again... he _was _considered a saint by all.

But even Stetler knew Horatio could break sometimes.

He was just wondering how much longer it'd be until he'd shatter into millions of pieces both mentally and emotionally...

* * *

**Oh, my god. I'm making even Stetler... NICE in this? -picks up big staff and runs off again- The apocalypse is coming, huh? Reviews are nice. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Reluctant Acceptance

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5. Reluctant Acceptance

He said nothing. Not a word escaped from his lips as the thought of his newest allies slowly began to dawn on him. Disgust, anger, worry- Horatio had no idea what to think as he walked over to Alexx's yet-to-be-cleared body and knelt down next to her. His hands fingered his sunglasses, looking up and seeing Eric's leg near his head. His feature morphed into some sort of sad smile. "Eric. I know how much she meant to you."

"This _is_ the primary crime scene," he told his boss, seemingly to be oblivious to the comment made. "But we don't really have much of a crime scene to actually clean up." He bit his lip, eyes scanning the area. "There's gotta be some sort of clue in here. Anything at all that could connect this to something else..."

Horatio stood up, slipping on his sunglasses. "Better start looking, Eric. The killer's in the wind, and he's not going to stop until we _make_ him stop."

The other male CSI watched Horatio leave the crime scene, his heart sinking. Typical Horatio- he showed no sign of allowing his emotions get the best of this case, even though it did involve a CSI. Even right now, though, he seemed more blank than Speed's death. Even then, he showed a bit more anger towards Stetler, but right now... he just didn't seem to _care._ And frankly, this worried Eric a lot. He took out his camera and snapped multiple photos around Alexx's body, frowning suddenly. A note lay next to her body, but it had partially soaked up the blood.

He bent over and picked it up with a gloved hand, cocking his head and trying to make out what it could have said. It read up at the top 'Horatio Caine...' then nothing else. He glanced down at Alexx's body, simply staring down at her closed eyes and taking a deep breath. "I miss you already, Alexx. Wish you could hear me or something, but H isn't himself. He's not even arguing with Stetler, much less _Julia."_

What was running through his mind? What was he thinking right now...?

* * *

The team members gave their boss a stunned look. He had _not_ just said what they thought he had said.

Even Horatio looked pained as Ryan gestured to the inside of the house in a fury. "You're kidding. H, tell me you're joking about this!"

"I wish I could, Mr. Wolfe, but right now, I can't. I'd do anything but joke about matters like this." He turned his head towards the outside and sighed "She was there at the lab when this all happened. She's not a suspect. And unfortunately, she's looking for my son as well. I have... I have to allow her to be an ally with us in finding the person who took Kyle _and_ killed Alexx."

Calleigh shook her head. "There's gotta be a different way out of this. Horatio, she's behind the death of Kathleen Newberry still, remember?!"

The redhead looked down at the grass. "I know what I said, Calleigh. And that leads me to my second reluctant acceptance on the time for the time being." He closed his eyes, ready for the wave of words to overcome him. "I have to allow Stetler on the team for a little while."

But nothing came. He glanced up at his team, and he wasn't surprised to find that each and every one of them had their jaws dropped open like a school of fish. Not one of them could actually believe their boss was allowing his two worst enemies on their side for a while. It seemed extremely out of character for this man to make either Stetler or Julia a seemingly-honorable member of the day shift. The foursome looked at one another with shocked looks in their eyes and back at their boss.

Finally, Natalia stated with worry, "Horatio, Stetler and Julia aren't exactly the best people to be with us right now."

"I understand that, Miss Boa Vista. But given the circumstances, we have no choice but to accept their help. Yes, I hate Stetler, and yes, I think Julia is still behind that murder with Ron, but we have to accept their help. There's no other way. You don't have to like it at all. You just need to embrace the fact that they want to catch her killer _and_ find out where my son is." He turned back to the grass. "Now, we have a case to solve. Let's go."

Calleigh crossed her arms. "Does Julia know about any of this?"

Horatio didn't reply. He merely walked back onto the lawn and glanced up at the sky. The sun still gleamed, but thunderclouds slowly rolled into view, ominous and full of whispering souls. He looked down at glanced at his hummer.

Julia knew, all right. And she was just as unhappy as everyone else was. In fact, she was furious. Julia had nearly shouted at him for three minutes straight about having to deal with "those idiotic team members of his." She ranted, she raved- it had not been one of the most pleasant moments in the lieutenant's life, to say the least.

He knew he was going to get ripped into by two women in his life sooner or later.

Better be sooner. He hopped into the vehicle, and the engine roared to life. He backed out of the driveway and drove off to the crime lab, his head torn with mental emotion.

* * *

By this time, Kyle was on his knees and attempting to stand. Ron was taking great amusement out of watching this little act and sat in the chair, leaned back and fiddling with a knife in his hand. "You know, you're not going to be able to get out of here," he told the boy rather cheerfully, gesturing to the door. "It's locked, and only I have the key."

The boy felt a trickle of sweat run down his cheek. The humidity in the room was starting to get to him as he continued to struggle with his bonds. If he could just loosen this rope a little bit more, he would be able to maybe, _just maybe,_ make a run for it. Perhaps he could do it when Ron was asleep or something... But for now, he'd have to settle with slipping the rope off his wrists. Kyle grunted and spoke to the killer, voice dripping with venom. "Why? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Look, you're Horatio Caine's son. He's a martyr in the eyes of the whole city. If anything, this will be breaking news coverage about this, and maybe he'll be seen as a failure for once!" Ron laughed roughly, his finger stroking the blade. "You know, I can't wait to see your father come by and try to save you."

Kyle clenched up in hatred. How _dare_ that man insult his father like that! Horatio was a hero- _his_ hero. Sure, he might not have said it a lot of the time, but still... Kyle had a great deal of respect for his father. He held him very high regards as not only a law enforcement officer, but a caring a loving individual in his life. Sometimes, he was perhaps _too_ caring about him and his mother, but he understood the reason for it now. He was trying to protect them from him.

From _R__on,_ who had seemed to lost his head entirely.

"You want to know _why_ I hope he tries to save you?"

Kyle gritted his teeth.

"Because then when I kill you, I can watch the light in his eyes die."

The teen opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He began to slowly inch _away_ from the door as Ron stood up and stepped forward slightly. "I hope I can watch him break down completely when he sees that his only son has died- the one light of his miserable life, gone before his eyes. And then, I kill him, too."

Time seemed to stand still. But in reality, it didn't.

It was still only 11:30 AM.

* * *

**Um, I'm going to back away now and act as if I didn't leave off at a cliffie. Reviews are enjoyed! Thanks for reading! -runs-**


	6. Crimes

**So, I guess some of you guys like this. I'm actually very surprised with the way this is turning out. It's very... angsty and not-Shiny of me to make Horatio completely blank right now. o.O**

**Thanks for the reviews** Little Horatio, EmilyProctorslittlegirl, Mrs. Darcy1234, Carrro, Jag Lady, CSI Junkie Aly, Queen Sunstar, cabot007, CSIBabs, Blue Shadowdancer, Nancy Davidson, princess moon shadow, PunkPrincess145, FernClaw

* * *

6. Crimes

"Where'd Horatio run off to?" Natalia wondered as she looked around the crime scene as best as she could.

Calleigh pushed some of her hair back in exasperation, getting on her hands and knees and crawling along the floor as best as she could. "I don't know. He seems to be taking this either way too hard or doesn't want to be in touch with reality at all." She sat back on her heels and bit her lip, looking down at the blood pool from under Alexx's body moments before. "I don't get it. He took Speed's death so much worse than he's taking Alexx's. Did the two of them- Alexx and Horatio- have some sort of connection or something more deep than friendship?"

Her friend shook her head. "I wouldn't know. I thought you would think about that prospect better than I would."

The blonde said nothing and merely began to sit there, her mind swirling out of control. She couldn't believe it. Calleigh and Alexx were two very close women, having been the only two women on the team for a great many years. Now that she had been murdered, she was the only original female CSI left on the team, and it left her with a sad and sickened feeling. She swallowed, a wave of tears threatening to overcome her as she looked around the room for any signs of a weapon or something that was able to kill one of her closet friends. "Have you found anything yet, Natalia?"

"Nothing. Although I'd love to give the killer a piece of my mind right now."

Calleigh laughed bitterly and stood up. "I'd like to give _Horatio_ a piece of my mind right now. He's so full of hot air that he can't even show his feelings. What is happening to him? One minute, he's a martyr, the next he's a vigilante, the next he's just..." She fell back to her knees. "Damnit, there are just so many sides to him now, I don't know which one is the _real_ Horatio Caine that I grew to love and respect!"

The younger woman merely nodded. She couldn't say anything on the matter, mainly because she hadn't known Horatio for more than two years. Natalia could only take comfort in kneeling down next to Calleigh and allowing the woman to weep at the sight of her friend's blood.

* * *

"I do not trust you," Yelina stated flatly.

Julia rolled her eyes. "I don't _expect_ you to trust me. I just want you to realize that your former brother-in-law is showing no reaction to the day's events so far. And I'm only asking you to help me in convincing him that he can show a little more emotion than possible." She crossed her arms. "I know you spied on me. I know all about your little crusade in searching for Kyle when Horatio didn't know I was still around. And I know about your love for him."

The clouds slowly began to roll into view, and thunder began to boom louder. Despite this, the two women were standing in the park where Yelina and Horatio had met to speak about Kyle's history in September. He hadn't actually gone off to the crime lab- he wanted to make a stop at the lake. Horatio loved the water; it could calm one moment and raging the next... kind of like his emotions. It was here that he wanted to meet Yelina for a little while longer.

But he failed to notice Julia there, too.

The Columbian tensed up. "My love for him is nothing more than a family love. His nephew is my son, and we draw the line there."

"Uh-huh." The other woman didn't look convinced in the slightest. "If we could just talk to him together this once..."

"I will talk to him _alone,"_ Yelina replied firmly. "It's uncomfortable with you being there while we talk."

Julia scoffed. "You're going to make a love confession to him?"

The private investigator gave the ex-wife a cold glare but said nothing. Julia infuriated her. She made her sick with disgust at the fact that she was, at one point, in a relationship with Horatio. How could that man be with her so many years ago- this low-lying, blackmailing piece of filth?

"Oh, I get it. You love him."

Yelina straightened herself up. "You know what? Maybe I do. But that doesn't mean you have to go poking your nose into _my_ personal life. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go and see what is wrong with Horatio."

Julia huffed an impatient sigh. "Whatever. You can go ahead and walk around in your skimpy white dress on your supposed day off, and _I_ can try and figure out what's wrong with the man I used to love!"

That did it. The Columbian narrowed her eyes. "You do realize I've hit Stetler before, right?"

"No. No, I didn't."

Yelina walked away in a hurried stride, and Julia crossed her arms. Yelina could be a very impatient woman, to be sure. And besides that, she wanted to see if she really would go and talk to the redhead. She walked a couple of feet and allowed herself to go into the grass. Julia slipped off her high heels and saw a tree close to where Horatio and Yelina stood by the lake. Horatio had on those idiotic sunglasses of his, and his hands were on his hips. He wouldn't face Yelina- in fact, she had noticed that he wouldn't really face _anyone_ with his whole body. Quickly pushing this peculiar thought aside, she leaned against the tree and listened as best as she could.

The investigator sounded worried. "Horatio, your emotions. They're gone."

"When have I had any emotion in a case, Yelina?" he shot back, his voice a bit on the chilly side. "I'm having a problem with finding my son, my ex-wife is in on this whole thing, Stetler's an ally... what do you expect me to feel right now?"

She snorted. "At least be saddened by the loss of a teammate of yours."

Horatio turned away. "Yelina, I can't discuss my feelings with you right now."

"You're going to shut me out of your life again." Her voice was bitter. "Why? What did I do to you?"

His voice was now a whisper, and Julia could barely make out what he was saying. "I can't let you know how I feel... because I can't bear the thought of you getting emotionally hurt."

"Emotionally hurt? You who have lost a wife, your brother, and now a CSI and a medical examiner are showing no signs of weakness, but you don't want me to be emotionally _hurt?" _Yelina shook her head. "You're crazy sometimes."

Horatio gave a ghost of a painful smile. "I know that. But you're going to have to trust me when I say I know when the right time to react is, okay?"

She said nothing for a moment, merely giving him a wary glare. Finally, her gaze softened, and she shook her head again, looking down at the grass, a breeze picking up off the lake. "Okay."

The man embraced her tightly, and Julia could not help but feel a pang of jealousy towards Yelina.

She had everything that she thought she would have one day in her life. And now, she had almost nothing.

* * *

**Oh, I'm so evil. Hope I'm doing these chapters okay. Reviews are loved. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Surreal Discovery

**Hey, look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane. No, it's... Super H! And he's brought an update!**

**(Couldn't resist. Light moment in the author's note. XD)**

**Thanks for the kind reviews** FernClaw, Jag Lady, Queen Sunstar, Mrs. Darcy1234, cabot007, princess moon shadow, daxy, PunkPrincess145, Little Horatio, lovincsimiami, Carrro, CSI Junkie Aly, Blue Shadowdancer, Hope06

* * *

7. Surreal Discovery

"Are you getting anything yet?" Eric asked his friend impatiently, crossing his arms.

Ryan shot him a nasty glare, clenching up and glancing at the computer. "Does it _look_ like I'm getting anywhere, Delko? I only got this fifteen minutes ago, and I'm working as fast as I can to do this!"

The older CSI looked down at his watch. "It's 12:30. H should be back by now from the crime scene."

"You know him- he doesn't feel complete unless he stands by a beach or something," Ryan replied, watching the note slowly come into view on the screen. "I don't know, man. Something just doesn't feel right about this at all. It's really unlike Horatio to be this blank a slate, especially when it has to do with someone on his team." Tears blurred his vision again, but he forced himself not to start crying. "He gets into every one of his other cases, but this one..."

Eric looked away. "We all feel the same way about this right now, Wolfe. But you don't see anyone else trying to let out their emotions on the job."

Ryan said nothing in return. He didn't want to have to listen to another one of Delko's lectures about emotions on the job. That didn't stop him from fuming, though, as he cleared his throat and typed in some things on the keyboard in front of him. "So, I tried to check this out as best as I could. Alexx's blood was on it, and I had to do a quick job of cleaning it. We gotta find Horatio's son and Alexx's..." He stopped.

His companion frowned. "What is it?"

The younger man nodded to the screen. Eric read the words on it, his voice becoming more horrified with each syllable. "'Beware of the coming storm. Emotions will rage, tensions shall rise, and your son will die. If anyone comes with you for the release of your son, I will make sure he is murdered before your eyes. Be at the warehouse tonight, or he will perish like your CSI Medical Examiner.'"

"You know what this means?" Ryan whispered

It had clicked with both of them. Both men gave each other terrified looks. "Alexx's death was by Kyle's kidnapper. This isn't about the team- this is about Horatio," Eric stated. "We gotta find H, or this is all going to go down to hell."

Ryan turned off the monitor, and it wasn't long until both of the men had slipped off their lab coats and were out the door in a flash to find their boss.

* * *

At last, he was free.

Kyle immediately took this victory as something to be used to wipe the remaining sweat off his face. He rubbed his wrists and swallowed, taking in the sweet taste of air as if it was possibly going to be his last. He had been freed from the rope that had not allowed him any movement for what was now three hours- at least, the three hours that he had been awake. Now, he sat there, his mind suddenly blanking out on any thoughts. What was he supposed to do? What was going to happen?

A loud snore awoke him from this dream state, and he glanced over to where Ron now sat in his chair. He was asleep, his mouth wide open and drool forming in a puddle near his feet. Kyle glanced down. He was still wearing his t-shirt and shorts he had slapped on before bed last night. A realization dawned on him- he had been kidnapped at night. He hadn't had any food all day, and it was staring to show. Groaning, he clutched his stomach for a moment, hunger pangs overcoming him. 'Come on, Kyle,' he thought, slowly straightening himself up. 'You gotta get out of here.'

His eyes traveled to the door, which seemed to be locked. Kyle frowned and tiptoed past the killer, trying to make his way to the door as best as he could without making any noise. His breathing seemed to be abnormally loud as his footsteps echoed in his ears as well. His hand reached out for the door, grasping the cold metal with shaking fingers.

Movement. A loud shuffle was heard from behind him.

Kyle closed his eyes and took his hand off the handle. 'You're hallucinating,' he thought sternly. 'Ron's asleep. You can do it. Just turn the handle if it's unlocked.'

His hand was on the knob once again. He twisted his wrist as best as he could.

Locked. He sighed quietly. It was worth a shot. But he hadn't succeeded. That was all that count.

Movement from behind again. His breathing began to grow more shallow.

"Going somewhere?" a quiet voice inquired from behind.

Kyle's eyes widened slowly, swallowing. He turned around and saw Ron giving him an eerie glare. He backed up against the door and felt the murderer's warm breath in his face. "I should've known you were going to try and escape and run home to your daddy. Then he'd come by and arrest me for the murder of Kathleen Newberry, huh? _Huh?"_

The teen inched around the wall. "No. Ron, it's not like that..."

He had no time to react. In a flash, a sharp object had been brought across his face, and a feeling of some sort of water began to run down his face. His hand instinctually reached up to touch the wound, and searing pain surged through his body. Kyle let out a bloodcurdling scream and dropped to his knees, glancing down at his hand and screaming even louder. The supposed water he had felt was blood.

He was bleeding. Ron stood over him, clutching a knife and grinning like the sadistic person he was. "How was that, Kyle?"

"You bastard!" he spat back, tears intermixing with the blood. "What the hell was that for?!"

"For trying to escape, m'boy."

Kyle swore angrily under his breath.

Ron fingered the knife and crouched down next to the boy, the smile gone. His voice was cold, deep, full of death. "If you ever, _ever_ try to pull a stunt like that again, boy, I will make sure that your parents die. Both of them." His hand reached out and grabbed the boy by the chin. "You hear me? Father and Mother won't be able to save you because their blood will be spilled in this very room. And that means that I can kill you without hesitation after that." He began to laugh. "There'll be no more Caine blood haunting Ron Saris for as long as he lives!"

The boy began shaking as the man threw him down to the ground. No... his mom...

Dad...

* * *

**-swallows- I hope this was good enough. I think. I dunno. THE ANGST REIGNS OVER ME. Reviews are enjoyed! Thanks for reading! -flees with sword-**


	8. Confessions

**-looks beyond exhausted- It's been a long week for me. Excuse me while I write this chapter with as much angst as I can muster.**

**Chapter dedication to **EmilyProctorslittlegirl-** review number 100. -o.O- Wow. A serious accoomplishment, you guys.**

**Thanks for the kind reviews** Hope06, FernClaw, cabot007, princess moon shadow, Jag Lady, lovincsimiami, ladyd10, daxy, PunkPrincess145, The Sway Wannabe, Carrro, Blue Shadowdancer, EmilyProctorslittlegirl, CSI Junkie Aly, Geolina Bartilonee

* * *

8. Confessions

This was really tearing her apart from the inside. Julia couldn't figure out if Horatio would give anything worth a damn about what she had to say. After those last couple of weeks of being with Ron, the words he told her rang in her ears like some sort of alarm going off in her head.

"_If you stay with this man, you and Kyle are going to die."_

It looked to be raining in the distance as she swallowed and stepped out from behind the tree. She didn't care if her shoes were on at that moment- she had been meaning to throw those wretched heels away in the first place. Julia glanced at the garbage can and back at her shoes. Shaking her head, she slipped back into them and walked over to her former husband, listening to the rain fall in the distance. "Horatio. I've been meaning to tell you some things."

The lieutenant didn't make eye contact with her at first. His sight was still on the water, a strange sort of aura pulsating from his very core. The woman pushed back some of her hair nervously. This was definitely one of the more awkward moments she had with him for a long time, and standing there with his hands on his hips didn't make matter any better. He slipped off his sunglasses and glanced over at her, his face expressionless. "Julia. You heard Yelina and I taking to one another, didn't you?"

She shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Maybe. But that has absolutely nothing to do with what I wanted to tell you!"

"I understand that."

Julia blinked in surprise at the softness of the man's voice. "What? How did you-?"

He gave her a look of knowingness and straightened up ever so slightly. "What is it you wanted to tell me, Julia?"

The woman bit her lip and looked down at the concrete, seeming to stumble over her own words. "Well... I was thinking abut those words you gave me a couple of weeks ago when you thought that Ron killed Kathleen, and I just..." She pushed her hair out of her eyes. "I thought I'd tell you the truth now."

Horatio nodded slowly, as if he already knew what she was about to say. "You understand now, don't you?"

Julia looked around fearfully and glanced down at her sleeve covering her arm. Slowly, she reached down and rolled it up, revealing a bruise on her arm, as well as what appeared to be a scratch mark. A rather _long_ scratch mark at that. She nodded slowly as a mixed expression unfurled on the man's face. "I got this a couple of days ago when Ron and I were alone. He got really upset at me, and he... well, he kind of beat me." She laughed slightly. "Ron has this fascination with knives right now, and I have to say, it's kind of nice to see him like a little kid showing off his things to me."

He didn't reply, merely eyeing the scar with his piercing eyes.

"The truth is, I'm getting scared. He seems to be trying to threaten me and Kyle a lot nowadays." She bit her lip, trying not to look innocent. "I want to get Kyle out of there, but I don't know who else to turn to, Horatio. You're the only one who'll listen to me now!" Julia looked desperate. "Please... just this once, help us out!"

She really was desperate. And it was blatantly obvious.

Horatio took a deep breath. "And you now realize that you're going to die if you stay with him any longer."

"I don't want the rest of Kyle's teenage life to have to involve seeing me suffer," she admitted, her voice soft. "I don't want him to see his mother break down from the emotional and physical wounds Ron would give me." She turned away. "I just... I want to get us both out of there. And you're the only one who can help us."

The emotions began to click into place. Kyle, then Alexx, now Julia...

It all connected right back to Ron. He felt anger swelling in his chest and tried as best as he could to force it down. But he was failing. He was breaking down. He was beginning to crack at the sign of emotional heartbreak in Julia's eyes. Horatio swallowed and turned away from her gaze, his own eyes beginning to show pain and ravaged sadness. "Julia. My son is missing, one of my best friends was murdered today, and I have to look after you now because it all connects right back to your boyfriend."

Julia's gaze hardened. "Oh, thanks. Make me feel better, why don't you?"

Horatio slipped on his sunglasses.

"Take those off."

He turned to his ex-wife. "Excuse me?"

Julia snatched the sunglasses off his face. "Stop hiding your emotions from behind your sunglasses."

It was then that she froze.

There was a sort of cold fire in his eyes. It seemed to be a small flame at first, and it suddenly erupted into an out-of-control wildfire. He slowly reached out his hand and took back the shades from Julia, his voice filled with chilled anger. "If I didn't, do you know how much emotion I would convey to the murderer? Do you know what would happen, Julia? I would probably go and lose my job." His gaze turned off towards the water, a light mist beginning to finally fall on them as the thunderclouds came even closer to the city. "Am I allowed to show emotion when I do my job? No."

She backed away.

"You don't want me to hide behind my sunglasses- then you're going to get emotions, Julia. You're going to get _pounded_ with them."

Julia's breathing seemed to quicken slowly. "Horatio... I didn't mean for..."

The redhead glared at her. "Then don't ever imply it again."

There was a slight cough from behind them. Eric and Ryan stood there embarrassedly, Ryan holding a sheet of paper and blushing a rather deep shade of crimson. Eric pushed back his hair sheepishly, not even bothering to conceal his worried smile. "Um, are we interrupting something, H?"

It turns out that the men had managed to speedily make their way towards the lake and had no trouble with traffic- which was a rather strange occurrence. Usually, there were accidents on the way to a crime scene, but today... it just seemed really quiet outside. It worried the duo... in fact, it worried them a lot.

But they stood there now, waiting for their friend and troubled companion to respond.

The lieutenant gave his team mate a shake of his head. "No, Eric. Do either of you have something pertaining to Alexx's death or the kidnapping of my son?"

Ryan stepped up and handed Horatio a sheet of paper, fear shredding at his heart. He didn't know what Horatio's reaction was going to be, but he knew that it would probably be one of calm fury. The young CSI had always been in awe of the fact that his boss managed to keep his emotions in check, especially when working a rather personal case. But right now, he was overcome with stunned amazement at the fact that Horatio had taken the piece of paper and began to tremble.

And it was with what seemed to be a mixture of fatherly fear and white hot rage.

Horatio swallowed and crushed the piece of paper with one hand. His eyes turned to the two men who had delivered the message, his voice quiet, laced with hatred. "He wants me to be there tonight? I'll give him what he wants... I'll come to the warehouse. He's just going to have to plan for an early arrival."

Eric's jaw dropped. "H, are you crazy?! He's going to kill _both of you!"_

"That might be so. But I'm not going to let him take my son without a fight."

He slipped on his sunglasses and strived off to the parking lot, leaving a stunned Julia and crew in the park. The mist began to turn into light droplets. Ryan turned to Julia, his gaze skeptical. "What exactly did you do to him to make him change his attitude?"

She shrugged. "I was with him many years ago, CSI Wolfe. You must remember that I have my ways with him still."

"I still don't trust you," Eric stated shortly, walking off to the Hummer.

Julia raised an eyebrow, following him hurriedly as the thunder grew louder. "And I don't have any intention of you doing such a thing in this lifetime."

* * *

**Hell yeah- ladies and gentlemen, Horatio Caine is back! -dances- Let's go kick some bad guy butt! I'm all better now. Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review**


	9. Let the Storm Come

**Happy Mother's Day, everyone!**

**Thanks for the really nice reviews** FernClaw, Jag Lady, cabot007, The Sway Wannabe, daxy, PunkPrincess145, Le Pecore Nere, Hope06, anitarose, CSI Junkie Aly, Blue Shadowdancer

* * *

9. Let the Storm Come

"You don't have any sort of plan for going in there except for you to grab Kyle, beat the crap out of Ron, and try to make it out of there alive?" Natalia asked him flatly as she stood in the conference room with all the others. She glanced down at her watch. "Horatio, it's two o'clock, and it's drizzling out there. What're we supposed to do?!"

Horatio's hands were now on his hips as he stood at the head of the table, giving each of his teammates a fierce look of determination- one they had gotten accustomed to over the past couple of years. "Ron Saris has my son, and he killed Alexx. We all know that he can be sadistic, armed, and full of hatred towards me right now. His retribution against me will be done once he has me and Kyle in the same room. And I'm going to give him what he wants."

No one responded to this remark. The CSIs were too dumbfounded by what their friend had just said. He _wanted_ to be in the same room as Ron Saris? Horatio had done some pretty crazy things in the past, but this idea made all his other plans seem _reasonable._ Stetler leaned up against the wall, his hands jammed senselessly into his pockets, his voice hesitant. "Horatio... are you implying that you're going to go and meet Saris _alone?"_

The redhead turned to the brunette. "You see a problem in that, Rick?" he inquired mildly.

"Quite frankly, yes. You seem to dive into these types of situations blindly, headfirst. Is there any other way we can go about this one in which you don't get your ass killed by a serial killer?"

Horatio looked down at the table and smiled. Stetler was, more often than not, concerned for his safety. But it was a different sort of concern... kind of like concern that the department was going to get chewed out if he didn't do something about the crime lab's actions. Stetler was usually the one in charge of the crime lab's affairs and whatnot, but today seemed to be completely out of his control. There was a teenager missing, the medical examiner had been fatally shot- there was a lot of heartbreak in that room where he stood. And he must've saw it on every single person's face.

Hortaio's voice was soft. "You concerned about my well being?"

"Look, I came here about Alexx's death, not the kidnapping of some teenager... whom you claim to be your son."

There was a worried silence that hung in the air over the team. Stetler immediately realized he must have popped a bubble or something filled with emotion. Because when his companion answered him, his voice was dripping with calm fury. "He _is_ my son."

Thunder boomed outside. The windows in the lab shook.

Calleigh tried to ease the tension as best she could. "You're not going there alone. We're coming with you."

Ryan's arms were crossed as usual. "Look, H. I'm with Stetler _and_ Calleigh on this one. We're going to go with you and making sure we don't have another crime scene to process." His voice cracked. "If you die in there..." He bit his lip to keep himself from crying once again. "I don't think any of us are going to have a clue of how to deal with two deaths in one day."

Horatio looked around the room. The entire team seemed to be agreeing with Ryan's statement. Each of them had their eyes glued to him as if one glues their eyes to a computer monitor, a different emotion in each set of eyes. He felt a guilty feeling gnawing away at his insides as he glanced at Julia, who looked nearly just as distraught as the rest of the team. It was clear that she was whispering words of triumph in his mind, but she didn't want to use that mask of emotion right now. And Horatio knew that much very well. He gave his ex-wife a slight eyebrow raise and said nothing.

Eric's hand subtly slipped into Calleigh's own. "H, if you're going to do this, you're going to do it with the whole team behind you."

It was final. Horatio didn't have to say anything, but he knew that his team would never let him live this down in the morgue if he died. He looked away towards the ground. "All right. But if any one of you get hurt..."

"We won't," Calleigh assured him. "We'll let you go in by yourself."

* * *

Kyle's breathing became ragged as he opened his eyes and felt a surge of pain through his cheek. He shuddered, tears rushing down his face, as he struggled to get up from the ground. His arms felt like Jell-O- he couldn't seem to withstand his own weight at the moment. But he forced himself to get off the ground and stand up, feeling his cheek again and realizing that he was still bleeding. It wasn't as freely as before, but it was still coming. He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath, vision blurring, and found Ron sitting in his chair and watching in amusement. "Can't wait for your dad to show up, huh?"

The teenager said nothing, shakily walking over to the wall and leaning up against it. Ron raised an eyebrow. "No witty comebacks? Have I finally silenced the great Horatio Caine's son?"

"Why waste my breath on a jerk like _you?"_ Kyle muttered angrily.

The killer tensed up slightly, but his voice stayed calm and serene. "I can see you're still defiant, even as a silent young boy of sixteen." He stood up and fingered the knife. "How about I teach you another lesson in respect for your elders?"

Kyle shook his head slowly. "No. No, please... don't do it again..."

His wish was never granted. Ron's fist suddenly hit his scarred cheek, and he screamed out in pain again. The abuse... the abuse was becoming too much to handle.

His body hit the ground, and once again, Kyle was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

Two twenty-five PM.

It was chaos- ordered chaos.

The squad cars, SWAT vehicles, bomb squad, ambulance- everyone was there in case of some sort of drastic emergency. Horatio had ordered it. In case there was some sort of horrible accident that could have occurred while he was inside the building, he wanted to make sure that everyone was there in case of needed back-up. The teams were simple- Calleigh and Eric would go first with a portion of SWAT, then Ryan and Natalia... finally Stetler and Julia if things got really bad. Everyone wore a bulletproof vest just in case something unusual happened- namely, a shot that could have penetrated the wall.

Horatio called it a safety precaution. Stetler called it "ten pounds of life saving material that would kill my back the next day."

Julia had readily agreed to that notion.

Ryan gave Horatio one last look, the rain coming down harder now. "Now, explain to me why you're not going in there with bulletproof stuff on."

The man said nothing in response. Ryan didn't press the matter any further than that.

The lieutenant walked up to the door twenty feet away from where they were standing and knocked on the door, his hands fingering his sunglasses. No answer. He turned the doorknob and was surprised to find it open. Slowly, he walked inside and looked around, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Kyle was in this place- his own son was in the dirty warehouse. Not to mention it smelled of mold.

He shut the door and looked around some more before spotting a body in the middle of the room. The man knew it was a dramatic set-up just for him. His heart rate quickened, his feet beginning to pound on the floor as he ran over to the shadowed figured. It couldn't have been. It couldn't be.

Without even realizing it, Horatio kneeled down next to the teenager and felt for a pulse. It was there, strong and steady.

His voice, however, was not.

"Kyle? Can you hear me, son?"

* * *

**I gave you an update. -dances- This fic will be coming to a close soon, but fear not! We've got some emotional moments coming next chapter, and it involves all our pairings... including a new one which you may have picked up in this chapter. ;)**

**Before you all scream at me, "WHERE'S YELINA?!" I'm going to say this- IMPLIED HY. She's not in every chapter. It'll be explained why she didn't go during the next segment.**

**Reviews are enjoyed. Thanks for reading!**


	10. Nervousness

**Please be nice to me for that mean cliffie. I'm really trying to do this story in the best way possible. As promised, there will be some relief from all of this- at least, as best as I can make it- the implied pairing, and some serious connections. After this, there is only Chapters 11-13. And this story will be completed.**

**Much love for the reviews** lily moonlight, princess moon shadow, CSI Junkie Aly, Jag Lady, daxy, raindropsX, Hope06, cabot007, Carrro, Blue Shadowdancer, PunkPrincess145

* * *

10. Nervousness

The rain was coming down harder now, but it didn't really affect the mood of any of the CSIs sitting- or standing, in Ryan's case- outside the warehouse with pained worry in their expressions. It was clear that none of them wanted Horatio to pull this maneuver, and no couple showed this better than Calleigh and Eric, who both sat inside the Hummer. It was impossible to say who was more frightened right now- the diver or the ballistics expert. As the two of them sat together, an eerie sort of quiet hung between them. Neither of them wanted to talk about the day's events, but it seemed almost mandatory.

It was almost as if Alexx was watching from above and waiting for both of them to start talking about how they had lost the dearest person in the whole lab. And she didn't want them to start praising her in all her beauty and glory.

No. She wanted them to simply speak about the day that was going on before them.

Eric's voice sounded choked when he first spoke. "It's beginning to seriously pour out there."

"Yeah," Calleigh agreed. "I wonder if the rain will let up soon." A clap of thunder was heard once again, lightning flashing in front of their eyes.

Silence.

"You know, I miss her, Calleigh. I miss her a lot." Eric didn't have to speak her name aloud.

She sighed and put her head on one hand, a tear slowly trickling down her cheek. "I think we all miss her, Eric. We just have different ways of going around and showing our feelings in a different way. Ryan's more emotional, you're more reasonable, Natalia's caring and worried, I become sarcastic and sour. But Horatio..." She chuckled bitterly. "Horatio's going through something so much worse than we are right now. He lost his son today... and Alexx..."

Eric put his hand on Calleigh's leg. _"Nearly_ lost his son. He'll make it out alive. I know he will."

The ballistics expert gave a sort of weak smile, slipping her hand into his. "You know... you're always so optimistic. Even after everything that happened last year."

He gave a sort of shy grin in return. "Calleigh, if you want to try and get into a relationship with me, don't you think you're going into it a little bit too early? I mean, you've been in one with Elliot, Hagen, now Berkley... I thought you'd lay low for a while or something."

"I don't mean to get into something really personal. I just want the friendship to... open up a bit deeper, if you get what I mean."

He didn't get what she was saying. He didn't understand any of it. But he nodded his head and pulled her into a tight embrace. "When do you want to start this so-called 'deeper friendship?'"

Calleigh gave a small shrug. "I'm not sure. Maybe when this day goes by. When we can celebrate life once again."

* * *

She stood on the porch, fingering her cell phone and watching the rains water her front lawn, a sort of fear in her eyes. He had damn near shunned her. Horatio and her were getting more and more distant as the years went on, and Yelina hated it. She wanted to be a part of his life once again, not just a background figurine looking beautiful up on his shelf of women he loved. As she cocked her head in amusement at the squirrel on her grass running in the storm, she felt her phone vibrate in her hand. She flipped it open. "Hello?"

_"Yelina,"_ Ryan's voice spoke on the other end, the sound of what sounded to be a waterfall roaring in her ears. _"Where are you?"_

"At home. Why?"

His voice sounded bitter. _"I thought you'd be here at the warehouse waiting for the hostage situation to sort of calm down."_

Yelina gave a short laugh. "I would be. But Horatio doesn't understand the meaning of family anymore, apparently. He doesn't seem to want to remember that his own deceased brother had a son, who constantly waits for him to come over some days. He doesn't seem to get that my son misses him and he rarely visits now. He doesn't seem to see me as family right now."

_"Kind of hard for him to think real clearly right now,"_ Ryan told her.

"Implying?"

The CSI sighed. _"He's confronting Ron Saris alone."_

Her heart seemed to beat to a screeching halt. Horatio was confronting Saris _alone?_ Was he insane?! Her fingers ran through her brunette hair, which was growing frizzy due to the humidity. "You're joking. Oh, please say you're joking."

_"I'm not. He had to do it- if he didn't, Kyle was going to die."_

She collapsed into a rocking chair, the rain now coming down in sheets. "My god..."

Ryan's voice sounded grim. _"No one knows what the hell is going on in there, and we won't know until either Kyle comes out or Saris does. It's like a horror movie on pause right before the killer comes out and attacks the main character."_

He _was_ stupid right now. Horatio had lost it.

She bit her lip, suddenly mentally beating herself up. "Call me when Kyle or Horatio come out. Please."

_"I will."_ The wind roared in her ears again. _"It's getting bad out here, so I'm going to hang up, all right? I'll call when I get some news."_

_Click._

* * *

She stared down at the wheel of the vehicle, laughing slightly to herself. "I can't believe this. Horatio's being as hotheaded as ever."

Stetler leaned forward in his chair, his brow furrowed in confusion. "You act as if you've known him for doing this before."

The rain pounded on the roof of the car. Lightning flashed again.

Julia gave Stetler a sort of weary smile before turning back to the dashboard. "I was, uh, engaged to him for some time before we left each other a couple of years ago. He sort of left me after a little bit of work, and I decided to break off my relationship with him." She fingered a ring on her finger. "I had Kyle after a while, and then we met up some fifteen years later. Kyle was still a bit of a convict in jail for a crime he didn't commit, and well..."

The man nodded his head slowly. "You don't have to tell me anything more than that."

Both people sat in silence after this, listening to the rain fall some more and contemplating their own thoughts. After a while, Stetler spoke again.

"You're worried about him."

It wasn't an open ended question.

Julia shrugged. "I'm worried about _Kyle._ There's something about all of this that's unsettling to me right now, and I just want him and Horatio to make it out of there alive."

"You can rest assured that he will get out of there alive, Julia."

She turned to the Internal Affairs sergeant, a look of surprise etched in her features.

"Horatio is doing what he believes he must do. I don't know what he can do to save any of us from that son of a bitch, but I do know that as long as there is a single breath in his body, he will not give up. And neither can we." His tone was of utmost seriousness, total respect for the redhead inside the warehouse. "We must continue to believe, or he may actually fail in his task." Stetler glanced out the window. "And I know he will succeed."

Julia swallowed. When she last saw the IAB agent, he didn't have many kind words for her ex-husband. Now he was practically _cheering_ for him.

And another thing.

He had really, _really_ gorgeous eyes. They were so green and dreamy to look at...

And she shook her head, forcing herself to look away from him. She wouldn't allow herself to get involved with another man she knew might leave her.

* * *

The shaking finger on his neck and the pleading voice did it. Kyle blinked once again, shaking his head ever so slightly and watching his father's face come into full view.

Wait. His_ father's_ face.

Horatio.

His eyes suddenly focused on the anxious male's features, which leaned back from his face and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. His eyes shone with both anger and happiness... and were those tears? Kyle blinked, feeling the salty liquid come down his own face. "Dad?" he managed to rasp out, coughing and struggling to sit up. "Dad, is it really you?"

Horatio embraced the teenager as best as he could, his own voice cracking. "Oh, my god. Kyle. I thought I'd lost you." He took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm. "What did he do to you, son?"

Kyle pushed himself away from his father and turned away slightly, and for a fleeting moment, Caine thought he was looking at his own reflection. But the image was quickly pushed aside as he stroked the teenager's cheek, receiving a wince in return. His voice was soft, dangerous. "What did he use to do this?"

"He used..." Kyle nearly broke down right there. "He used a knife, Dad. He slashed me across the face and then punched me in the same spot. Dad, it hurts like shit right now. We've gotta get out of here. He said he'd kill you and mom before my eyes and..."

Horatio's mind and heart with in synchronized harmony- racing against time and against the wave of hatred that would crash onto the shore. He placed his hands on Kyle's shoulders, a fire in his eyes... one that Kyle had never seen before. "He's never going to hurt you again, Kyle. Do you understand me?"

"I wouldn't be so sure."

The lieutenant closed his eyes and made sure not to turn around and sock the man behind him right in the jaw. "Ron Saris."

The killer was sitting in his usual hair and grinning lazily at the reunited father and son. He shrugged his shoulders as Horatio turned to his direction. "Looks like I was wrong, Kyle. Your dad really did come and save you." He snickered. "And it looks as if he's his usual nonemotional self." He scratched his back slightly. "I didn't really think you'd come for the kid- thought you'd believe Jules was trying to pull some stunt on ya."

Horatio helped Kyle up and stood in front of him slightly. "And what do you believe killing my medical examiner and taking my son would accomplish?"

"My retribution against you, Horatio. You had Julia for so many years... I thought I'd take away a piece of your life since you took away a piece of mine." He stood up from the chair, smirking. "A perfect day to do it, too. A thunderstorm in the distance, a desperate Julia in need to get away from the house, and an innocent looking kid. Gotta say, I'm pretty satisfied with how I did all of this."

Kyle growled softly. Horatio squeezed his hand tightly.

Ron walked over to the two redheads. "But now it's almost over. All I gotta do to make my day perfect is to kill the two of you."

He brought his fist back, ready to go behind Horatio and get Kyle right in the face. But he didn't have the chance.

Horatio suddenly made a dive for Ron, tackling him to the floor and pinning him on the concrete. Kyle stood there, horrified at the sight of the two men struggling until Horatio suddenly screamed out desperately, _"Kyle! RUN!"_

The teenager didn't need to be told twice. With a sprint towards the door as fast as his legs could carry him, Kyle bolted to the door and opened it, racing outside and slamming it behind him, suddenly finding himself in the pouring rain.

Horatio was still inside.

* * *

**-laughs- IN YOUR FACES! I did a cliffie, a long chapter, and a cliffie! -laughs and runs- **

**If any of you find the reference quote in here from a certain movie, I will be _very_ impressed. I tweaked it to fit the story, and if you find it, I will give you a cookie or a one-shot or something...**

**I would LOVE reviews for this chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	11. Angst Fortuna

**I past 150 reviews... -begins happy dance- And this story is turning out so much better than I ever anticipated!**

**WARNING: Deep stuff ahead. _Really_ deep stuff ahead. As in, angsty deep.**

**As for the quote... -points below-**

**Thanks for the really sweet reviews** Jag Lady, cabot007, daxy, lily moonlight, PunkPrincess145, EmilyProctorslittlegirl, Blue Shadowdancer, Carrro, princess moon shadow, FernClaw, Le Pecore Nere, CSI Junkie Aly, Hope06, CSIBabs, Geolina Bartilonee

* * *

_I don't know what he can do to save us. But I do know that as long as there is a single breath left in his body he will not give up and neither can we._

_-Morpheus, **The Matrix Revolutions**_

* * *

11. Angst Fortuna

One swift kick was all it took, and Horatio was on the concrete floor, grimacing and clutching his stomach. Ron clamored to his feet and stood over Horatio with a look of fury, his fists clenched. "So you decided to save your son, did you? Well, I can assure you that you did that. You saved Kyle, and now you can be considered a hero amongst the city of Miami, Florida." His hand reached down and grabbed the lieutenant by the neck, pulling him to his feet. "You seemed so intent on bringing me down, but all you simply do is tackle me to the ground. C'mon, Caine. I thought there was more in you than that."

Horatio didn't speak for a few moments. His blood seemed to spike with adrenaline, his head swimming in a sea of fog. His own hands clenched into fists, tears of fury and of slight pain coming to his eyes. This man had done enough to him and his friends... he had killed Alexx... kidnapped his own son... _abused_ his son... He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to stay calm and closing his eyes. "I _seemed_ so intent on bringing you down? You act as if I don't want to do that sort of thing anymore, Ron. You act as if I don't want to do such a thing anymore."

Saris chuckled lowly, dangerously. "Do I? Maybe I want to meet the shit out of you, Horatio. Maybe it's time you've stopped being a hero and finally get what you deserve- the _real_ pain from those you think of as villains. Are you prepared for that?"

The eyes shot open, and Saris was shocked to see Horatio facing him fully. The lieutenant never faced anyone fully, unless something was about to happen that involved serious blows, or if he was just plain angry at someone for something they did. There was a familiarly haunting smile etched in his features, his eyes eerily calm. "Yes. I'm prepared for it. I just hope you're prepared for what is about to happen to you, Ron."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "No one-liners?"

Without warning, Horatio's fist suddenly connected with the killer's face and sent him stumbling back what measured to be ten feet. His eyes suddenly flamed. "You don't deserve any, you son of a bitch."

The personal fight between two completely different men, both of whom had the same goal, had begun.

* * *

He just stood there out in the rain, the right side of his face nearly covered in blood. He looked so worried, his hand on the door handle behind him. His hair began to droop in front of his eyes as it gathered water from the continuous downpour. He looked down at the pavement under his feet, swallowing and shaking his head. His father was still in there, fighting for maybe his very life, and he was out here in the rain.

It felt so wrong. He suddenly felt like a heavy burden, his own weight weighing down on his father's shoulders.

But suddenly, he heard the splashing steps of a woman's footsteps in his direction. Kyle turned to the direction of the noise and gasped in surprise and happiness. Julia was rushing towards him as best as she could in the rain, another male following from behind her. He opened his mouth, but no words could come out. Julia suddenly embraced him moments later, weeping with joy and worried fear. "Oh, my god. Kyle. My baby..."

"Mom," was all he could get out before being overcome by his mother's sobs. "Mom, it's okay."

She shook her head. "No, it's not okay! I was with Ron for the longest time, thinking it'd be a better life for us, but I was wrong! I was so wrong, and now I know what he meant by the fact that we were going to die!"

Kyle didn't know what to say. He looked at the brunette standing awkwardly next to the reunited family of two. "Who are you?"

"Rick Stetler, Internal Affairs agent," he introduced himself to the teen. "Your mom has been really worried about you, son. She wanted to talk to me for a bit, and we've gotten to know each other."

The teenager narrowed his eyes. "Fine then, _Rick._ Can I ask you one thing?"

Stetler grimaced. The kid was just like his father.

"Don't ever call me 'son.' Only my own dad can do that to me."

The agent smirked. "Suits me. Where is your dad anyway?"

Kyle's face broke out into a worried look behind him. "He's still in there with Ron."

Julia's breathing quickened. "Still in there? Why?!"

Stetler's featured tightened. "I don't know. But if he's only in there to kick Saris's ass, then I'm kicking his once he gets out here for pulling a stunt to get you out. I swear on my badge I will get him for this..."

* * *

Horatio was never one for big, epic battles with his archenemies, with the exception of Antonio Riaz. Usually, he just wanted to get the case done and move onto the next victim of a sadistic murderer. But today was another one of those special cases. Today, he felt as if he was simply facing another Antonio Riaz... except this one had really hit home, and his soul was nearly like the depths of hell. He allowed the dark waves of hatred flood his body for what seemed to be the first time in many years.

Hatred for hurting Kyle... for killing Alexx... hatred towards others for the death of his wife... his brother... Speed... his mother...

The evil, incoherent rage suddenly burst towards the surface as he landed yet another fist to the face. Ron felt his head snap towards the side and grimaced, blood beginning to trickle out of his mouth. His own fist managed to connected with the side of Horatio's head, his voice dripping with venom. "Are you feeling emotions?"

"More than you'll ever know," the lieutenant muttered, his mind seeming to drift to some place.

Where that place was, Ron didn't ever intend on finding out. He was beginning to discover the consequences of making Horatio Caine a ticked off father.

It was something he never intended on doing again in his lifetime.

Horatio began to tread deeper into the waters of darkness, seeming to dip his foot in- hesitantly at first, but the foot gradually made it in completely. The backhand of a punch knocked Ron square in the chest, sending him back some three feet again. The killer smirked and kicked the man in the side of the body, sending pain right through his whole upper torso. But with this feeling came more darkness, more rage. He took a deep, shuddering breath, a memory suddenly flashing before his eyes...

- - -

_"No... Dad, please don't! She suffered too much!"_

_"Shut up, boy," the older man snarled, bringing his hand across the seven year old's face. "I'm the head of the house, I can do whatever the hell I want!"_

_The little redhead shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "No more, Dad! Just stop this...!"_

- - -

He felt his fist once again connect, this time right between the eyes. Blood spouted out like a waterfall, and Ron howled in agony, clutching the wound with his hand. Horatio heard nothing, though, as he continued his assault, his mind suddenly flashing to another image of pain and suffering. The rain pounded on the roof, thunder shaking the walls of the structure, the two men dancing with death...

- - -

_"Horatio?" Ray dropped his toy and began to shake in shock at the sight of the dead white male on the floor, blood pooling under his body. "Horatio, what happened?"_

_Horatio shook his head. "He killed Mom, Ray... he killed Mom! I just... I took his gun, and I..." His shoulders began to shake with wracking sobs. "I killed him, Ray!"_

_There were no sounds in the bedroom as the two Caine brothers stood in horror at the new crime scene before them._

- - -

The eyes- Horatio had never seen such a pair of sadistically calm eyes of death. Ron didn't seem to care about his life, merely the thought of taking someone else's. They were taunting him, gesturing to him to make the next move. Ron roared and made a dive for the lieutenant, knocking him flat and punching him right in the stomach- the very same spot where he kicked him before. Horatio felt a sharp pang through his body once again, his mind flashing to a scene three and a half years ago. His eyes shut, the feeling of loss overcoming him once again.

"Come on, Caine!" Saris laughed savagely. "Give me something I'll never forget!"

The blood from his nose dripped onto Horatio's outfit.

- - -

_"This is CSI Caine, I've got a man down, shots fired!" he yelled into his link to the outside, his gun in his other hand._

_Speed began to breathe spastically, blood gushing out of his mouth. Horatio pulled out a cloth and wiped his mouth, whispering the same words over and over again. "Speed... Speed..."_

_No comfort come. The breathing slowed. The blood pooled under the body._

_Horatio's eyes suddenly went blank, putting his head down to his friend's chest. No heartbeat._

_His voice came out in a whisper. "Speed..."_

- - -

The pain... the sadness... the rage...

The unyielding rage...

Horatio brought his knee up and slammed Ron in the soft spot, taking his fist and punching him right in the eye. Once again, the killer howled and rolled off him, allowing Horatio some time to get up quickly and collect his thoughts. It was here... it was coming.

He was in the dark waters now up to his ankles, still hesitating to go in any farther. If he did succumb to its great power, then he feared he'd be lost in it forever. But in order to fully take down Ron, he knew he had to become one with the evil within him for some time. But how long would that last?

It didn't matter. With a deep breath inside his soul and a leap of faith, Horatio succumbed to the awesome and equally terrible power of darkness.

Ron cracked his fingers, grinding his teeth and preparing to give Horatio what _he _thought would be the beat down of a lifetime.

Before he could even ready himself, though, Horatio had flung his fist out once again and knocked Ron right in the side of the stomach, growling deeply.

The pain... the pain of death...

'The memories,' he thought blindly. 'The memories...'

- - -

_"You- you aren't planning to stand up for me?"_

_Horatio smiled weakly. "Never," he whispered in Marisol's ear._

_Her hand went limp._

- - -

Horatio's leg shot out, and he kicked Ron right in the solar plexus. The man doubled over in pain, feeling a strange sensation befall upon him. He felt hatred radiating off of the lieutenant as a foot suddenly met his face and crashed into his nose once again. Blood once again flowed freely, and Ron screamed in pain, blocking his face from any more damage this now-apparently psychotic lieutenant could possibly dish out to him. What the bloody _hell_ did he do to deserve this?!

Apparently, kidnapping Kyle and killing Alexx Woods was not one of his better plans.

What he didn't know, though, was that Horatio was hallucinating.

He was seeing faces- Riaz, his father, the Bulgarian who helped in the death of his partner...

All he could suddenly think about was the desire to beat in Ron's face more than he already had.

So much pain and suffering... _fuck._

What was wrong with him?

Horatio brought his fist into the serial one last time before he suddenly heard a scream and a rumble of thunder. He blinked, shaking his head slightly.

What he saw froze his blood.

Saris looked sickening. His hand was still over his face, blood pouring out of his nose with no intention of ever stopping. HIs eye was swelling, and he looked as if he could have thrown up at any given second. Horatio stared at him and back down at his own hand. There was blood on it- his knuckles seemed to be nearly caked with it as he looked away from the sight, a feeling of sorrow and despair filling his heart.

He was tainted. He was so tainted with darkness...

There was no noise but the heavy pounding of the rain and the loud, ragged gasps of a now severely-beaten Ron Saris. Horatio turned away from Ron, standing in his normal posture. His voice, however, was low and filled with death.

"You... are under arrest."

Ron didn't argue with him.

* * *

**-backs away very slowly- Someone said epic, I delivered epic. It said angst, I delivered angst. If I don't get really long reviews for this, I don't know what else will... Hoo-boy. I'm exhausted. Hope you enjoyed that capter. Thanks for reading.**


	12. Messiah

**I had my last choir concert last night, so there were tears abound for half-an-hour afterwards. I don't want the seniors to leave! -forces self not to cry-**

**Thanks for the really sincere reviews** princess moon shadow, Geolina Bartilonee, cabot007, daxy, PunkPrincess145, lily moonlight, emilyproctorslittlegirl, Carrro, Le Pecore Nere, Blue Shadowdancer, Hope06, CSI Junkie Aly, CSIBabs, speedfanatic05, Jag Lady, FernClaw

* * *

12. Messiah

It had eased up ever so slightly outside, but the rain was still coming down. Emotions ran high as the door to the warehouse opened, and breaths were held, wondering who would walk out. Julia, Kyle, and Stetler waited...

And out he came.

Their martyr. Their messiah.

He looked calm, serene- in an almost angered matter. His face seemed to be lost amidst the memories of the past and visions of the future, torn between what to remember and what to expect. He looked up towards the sky and smiled bitterly, feeling the rain hit his face and run down his cheeks. The skies were crying with him over the loss of a true friend and the realization that he might have lost another family member to violence that day. He took a deep breath and turned to where his other friends and allies stood. "The suspect," he told them in a strangled voice, "has been apprehended."

The officers looked surprised at this, but nonetheless, the rushed in to the building and stopped at the sight of Saris on the ground. There didn't seem to be any air left to breathe as the killer lay on the floor, his own air flow seemingly cut off by the number of people now in the room. It wasn't until one of the officers moved forth that they walked over to the man and lifted him up, turning him around and slapping a decent pair of handcuffs on his wrists. They walked out with him to the car and passed Horatio, who gave them a nod of thanks.

Julia took a step towards him and hesitated. She felt so relieved that she was alive, et so fearful that he was going to take her son away. The woman cleared her throat. "Um, Horatio..."

The lieutenant turned to her and gave a short nod. "You expect me to believe that you want to keep Kyle."

The teenager looked at his mother and his father, having no idea on how to diffuse the situation. Julia looked about ready to burst into tears, and Horatio looked as if he almost didn't care at the moment. He cleared his throat uncertainly. "You know, I've kind of wanted to try and live with both of you guys- not at the same time," he added hastily at the fierce looks on their faces, "but just... you know. Going back and forth every so often."

Horatio looked away, wiping his face from the water that dripped from his hair. The rain had turned into a slight mist, and it seemed to set the mood for a moment. He bit his lip in thought and glanced at Julia. "Well?"

The mother shook her head and smirked to herself. "You have no idea what kind of father he is, though."

"I won't know unless you keep me cooped up in that place _you_ call a home," he countered.

Julia blinked. Kyle had never once spoken to her like this, and it surprised her just as much as it surprised his father. The parents stood there, thinking to themselves about what could happen if one stayed with the other. The tension was, once again, higher than normal- almost like there was going to be a standoff between two parents. Kyle thought he had done something really wrong in voicing his opinion about the matter, but finally Horatio spoke.

"You can live with whomever you want to, son."

His face broke out into a wide smile, tears beginning to flow down his face. Julia raised an eyebrow at the lieutenant and nodded curtly. "Hmph. Looks as if you've won, Horatio. At least, this time around."

He turned away and looked up at the skies again. "I don't know yet, Julia. I'm not sure whether I really_ have_ won. It's up to Kyle at this point to whom he wants to stay with."

And it was, to be frank. The boy had no idea who he wanted to stay with yet, and as he stood there, trying to avert their gazes, Horatio had the feeling he was torn between the father and the mother. He gave the teen a small smile. "You don't have to choose right now."

Kyle nodded slowly. "I just... I want to go home right now- with Dad."

The lieutenant's heart leapt into his throat.

Julia looked stunned. "Any reason why?"

"He saved me," he replied simply. "He's my hero, Mom."

She gave him a tight-lipped smile before turning to Horatio. "You can fill out adoption papers any time, you know."

"I don't think that will be necessary," Horatio replied mildly, though his eyes said otherwise. "But before you go running away with someone else, I want to ask you this- what now?"

Julia gave a short laugh. "No idea. But for now, I'll have to take comfort in your residential Internal Affairs agent. Seems to be a hell of a lot sweeter than Ron ever would have been."

If Horatio was the least bit pleased about this notion, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply nodded and looked back to where Stetler was standing. Giving the two one glance, he strode over to the sergeant and looked him square in the eye. Stetler merely raised an eyebrow. "You came out. I have to tell you, Horatio- that wasn't one of the smartest moves you've done in a few years. _At all."_

"If you do _anything_ as much as lay a finger on her," he told the man softly, sending a shiver down Stetler's spine. "I will_ personally_ beat the living daylight out of you."

And with that, he walked away, not even slipping on his sunglasses.

* * *

"He won," Calleigh stated quietly, shaking and taking ragged, relieved breaths. "I can't believe it. He actually won."

Eric got out of the car and looked over at the lieutenant, who fingered his sunglasses in the Hummer next to them. "What did you expect, Calleigh? He's Horatio Caine- I don't think anything can hurt him. Except if it has to do with human emotions and being emotionally wounded. That, even I'm not sure of."

The blonde smiled weakly and got out of the car as well, walking over to Eric's side of the vehicle and standing in front of him. He was sweet- sweeter than anything she had really known. It was odd- she had never really gotten to know him until that day- the day were everything seemed to be spiraling out of control for everyone, including herself. She couldn't help but feel a single tear roll down her cheek as she looked away from Eric. 'He shouldn't have to see me cry,' she thought.

She suddenly felt a hand stroke her cheek, wiping away the lone tear. Eric's voice was soft, calming. "Calleigh. I think you'd better come over tonight. We can talk about our feelings together and..."

"And what?"

"I can make dinner."

Calleigh gave him a grateful look. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

* * *

"So what happens now?" Natalia murmured as she watched the rain lessen with each passing minute.

Ryan stroked her hair slightly. "I can't say for sure. H will probably be back at his job tomorrow, and chances are, he'll try to forget the whole thing in a week- which is a feat I know even _he_ can't accomplish."

Both CSIs were silent for a moment. The radio softly began to play Mariah Carey's _Hero,_ and Ryan gave a softened smile. "You know, this could be H's theme," he tried to joke.

They both knew that this was too true. Natalia leaned back in her chair, looking towards the skies, and sighed wearily. "It's been the longest day of my life," she admitted, glancing down at the clock. "And it's only three-fifteen. If anything else happens, I think we're all going to shatter into pieces that no one will be able to pick up."

"I know," Ryan agreed, watching the squad cars move out and Calleigh and Eric together outside their car. "It has been one of the longest days in our lives. For all of us- but I don't think anyone has been more affected than Horatio."

Natalia merely chewed her lip in thought. Nothing more could be said about this.

* * *

It was over. The day was over, even if it was only three fifteen.

Horatio swallowed and fingered his sunglasses, the window down in his vehicle. He couldn't believe it- so much had happened in such a short amount of time, it had all been a blur. First Julia, then Alexx... finally Kyle... and Ron...

Emotional tension all day long, and he taken it all out on the man responsible for it all.

But he still didn't feel clean. What would make him feel better still?

A tear slid down his cheek. And another... another...

And suddenly, Horatio's shoulders shook with deep, wracking sobs.

He never cried. But for some reason, he felt that right now, it was okay.

Because in his mind, he thought that Alexx was crying, too.

* * *

**Oh, man. One more chapter, and then this fic is done! T.T Jeez. I'm a sap. Anyways, I've got some songs that go good with this story. Think of it as some kind of soundtrack.**

Won't Get Fooled Again -The Who  
Luke and Leia -John Williams  
The Boys Are Back in Town -Thin Lizzy  
Time To Say Goodbye -Andrea Bochelli  
Knockin' On Heaven's Door -Guns 'N Roses  
Aerith's Theme (Piano Version) -Nobuo Uematsu  
30 Minutes -T.A.T.U  
Lux Aeterna -Clint Mansell  
Clocks -Coldplay  
Tifa's Theme (Piano Version) -Nobuo Uematsu  
Carmina Burana: O Fortuna -Carl Orff  
Tears In Heaven -Eric Clapton  
Saving Private Ryan (Hymn to the Fallen) -John Williams  
Synchronicity II -The Police **(BONUS TRACK)**  
Hero -Mariah Carey **(BONUS TRACK)**

**Now, I know you all are sad, but it's okay. I have more after this in stories! Go ahead and review. It's all good.**


	13. Interlude: Paradise Lost

**I'm not going to get teary. I think... OH, FINE. -wails sadly- Yes, it's the last chapter, and I'm depressed to let it go! I don't wanna... it's my best work on here yet in this fandom! And even you all said so!**

**This was intended to be out before the season finale last night, but due to recent events and such... -tearily wicked grin- This _is_ an angst suspense story.**

**Thanks for the awesome reviews** princess moon shadow, Jag Lady, daxy, cabot007, speedfanatic05, Hope06, CSI Junkie Aly, lovincsimiami, FernClaw, PunkPrincess145, Blue Shadowdancer, Le Pecore Nere, CSIBabs, lily moonlight, EmilyProctorslittlegirl

* * *

13. Interlude: Paradise Lost

The rain was once again falling gently, the dark cumulonimbus clouds swirling ominously in the distance. But it didn't matter. Horatio sat on Yelina's porch, a pitcher of lemonade next to him, a weary smile etching itself on his features. He enjoyed the rain now- it seemed to help with the healing since Alexx's death around two weeks ago.

There had been a funeral, to be sure. It wasn't very long, just something private for mainly close family and friends. It had torn Horatio's heart in two to see her kids there, crying and eyeing their mother in a casket. He didn't resist the urge to walk over to the children and kneel down next to them during the ceremony. It tore him from the inside out to watch them suffer like this, and this was clear to all his teammates. Even Kyle had attended, standing near Natalia Boa Vista with a saddened look on his face. The female had quietly explained that Horatio and Alexx had been close friends.

No more words had to be said about it. Kyle gave a nod and continued to listen to the eulogy.

The casket had been lowered around half an hour later. There was not a person that was not crying. Even Stetler, who rarely got emotional, could be seen with his eyes welling up. He bit the inside of his mouth to stop himself from letting the tears go down his face. Julia had opted to go home and think about the events from a few days ago.

Alexx's funeral had been a week ago. And Horatio had still not fully healed from the wounds both physical and emotional.

Yelina poked her head out of the house and shook her head, stepping onto the porch and watching the clouds roll in. "You've been out here for half an hour. Surely, you must be needed at work right now."

"Stetler forced upon me a week of rest," he told her, sounding exhausted. "Told me if I didn't, then I'd be forced to go to a therapy session. I told him to go stick the session up his butt and took the vacation." He rubbed his head. "I've been spending the whole week with Kyle and seeing what he thinks of me as a father and everything."

The Columbian gave a small smile. "And what does he think?"

Horatio took a deep breath. "He says he misses Julia a little, but he's beginning to love my place, too." He turned to her as she sat down in a chair on the other side of the small table. "I still have my PS2 from when Ray used to come over, and he plays it every now and again." He let out a short laugh. "There's not much he'll tell me right now, but we're getting it off the ground slowly but surely. It might be a while before he truly trusts me."

Yelina looked back inside and shrugged. "At least he trusts Ray, Jr."

"I guess so. It's a start between them. I don't think he'll have an immediate friendship with Ray, though."

The thunder slowly rolled across the flatlands and houses as the father and mother sat there in silence. Horatio looked down into the lemonade pitcher and picked it up, pouring some more into his glass and watching the rain fall. Yelina cleared her throat. "So, are the rumors true about Julia and Rick, Horatio?"

He gave her an unreadable expression. "Indeed, they are true."

"What do you think about it?"

The redhead took a drink of his lemonade, his voice quiet. "I told him that if he touched her, he was going to get the living daylight beaten out of him."

Yelina raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think you're being a bit harsh to him? He really is a sweet man when you know him."

Horatio closed his eyes. "You know I hate it when you tease me like that."

"What happened?"

He looked at her, confused. "I don't understand."

She watched the rain fall harder. "You know... between us. As family. You hardly come over, and it's just..." She wiped her eyes. "I don't know. You seem so distant from everyone now. As if you're in a completely different place."

Horatio looked down at the floor. The sounds of shaky laughter came from inside as Kyle and Ray played the PlayStation 2 with much zeal. His gaze turned to his hand, which shook with nervous energy. The one he had repeated smacked Ron with- he took a deep, ragged breath. "I don't know, Yelina. I feel so lost and confused all of a sudden. I don't _know_ what happened. Between Kyle and Julia and Ron... I suddenly lost touch with reality. I wanted to get the bad guys, put away everyone who could hurt my family." He looked up at her, his blue eyes pleading. "I'm sorry."

Yelina bit her lip. "Are you simply saying that or do you mean it?"

"I mean it with every fiber of my being." And he sounded it. "I really am sorry. Could you..."

The Columbian gave a sad smile and shook her head in amazement. "Horatio, why wouldn't I forgive you? I know you haven't been yourself these days."

She took his shaking hand and looked into his eyes. "It's okay. I know it's okay..."

He looked down at their intertwined fingers and swallowed, his throat dry. It wasn't okay. He was turning into a merciless killer, a relentless pursuer of justice. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. "Yelina, what's coming over me? I'm turning into something so evil, so relentless. I don't understand. I need... I need someone right now. I don't know who, though."

"My door is always open," she replied quietly, the rain pouring down even harder than before. Puddles slowly began to form in the front yard.

Horatio nodded, watching a car drive by. "Tha-"

_BANG._

Horatio's eyes widened and looked down at his chest slowly. His head swirled in a mist of fog and darkness. Another shot rang out and whizzed his his head, missing him and hitting the house. Yelina's screams rang out, but they didn't register as he slipped out of his chair and hit the floor with a resounding _thud._ 'I've been shot,' he thought numbly. 'I've been shot...'

A yell was heard, and the two boys in his life raced towards the porch, having dropped their game. Yelina's frantic call for help became a blur as he closed his eyes.

All he thought was one thing.

'Not Kyle... anyone but Kyle...'

* * *

**-runs away- I'm attempting and failing to stay canon with this. I'm going to get this big mob running after me ordering for the sequel, but it's all worth it. This story is worth getting mobbed for. You guys made this chapter possible, and I tweaked it. So, who wants to see a sequel? -gets hit with a piñata- Ow...**

**Thanks for your: reviews,** _faves,_ and alerts:

**FernClaw, ****_Hope06,_****_ Blue Shadowdancer,_ ****_CSI Junkie Aly_, ****white.devil.hunter****, cabot007, Jag Lady, ****SciFiNutAlways1999****, Ashley Moore, _daxy_, EmilyProctorslittlegirl, PunkPrincess145, ****princess moon shadow****, Le Pecore Nere, _lily moonlight_, speedfanatic05, sammi, ****_Carrro, _****_Queen Sunstar, __lovincsimiami,_ ****ashley, ****_CSIBabs, _****Geolina Bartilonee, ****aimalyn xo****, ****Little Horatio,**** Mrs. Darcy1234, Nancy Davidson, ladyd10, ****_The Sway Wannabe_****_,_ _anitarose, _raindropsX, **CSIloverZed, Jessie-1989, andrejkau, foxyfeline, littledawn12, ross ithil wen

**Well, I'm out. And give me a GOOD time frame: Sequel or no sequel? -hit with a rake- Bad question.**

**Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review! **


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